One of my hobbies is seeing wild animals so today I've seen some deers bellowing in Monte del Pardo, a Mediterranean forest near my home. We also have seen some bucks (of fallow deer) but the fact of hearing those yells was amazing. After having had a rainy day here in Madrid, Spain, our hike in that reserve has been very satisfactory.

I have seen moose(Euro elk) and bald eagle and those I have pictured as seen on the Katahdin website. Actually the most nervewracking experience with a moose was below North Traveler and I will post some of those pix. Have seen American Elk (Wapiti out west or in Spain Red Deer~Stag.). Out west I saw marmots and in the Tetons a moose blocked the path though not as big as the Traveler Moose we had to wait for it to move on. In the Tetons a mother black bear and here cub tried to get our food at night but they were put off by us starting up an MSR XGK Stove.A raccoon hoped into my car trunck on Mt. Leconte and tried to get our Kilbasie Sausage one winter's eve. A black bear hit my brother in law's Chevy Corisca while he was driving me in Maine near North Twin Lake. It stove the passenger front door in pretty good.

About the only thing I haven't seen are badger or mountain lion. Have pretty much seen all the other larger animals (mammal and bird) in the western U.S. The most nerve racking was the wild pig coming toward us, not running but got pretty close before she turned and left. I was getting ready to head up the tree I was next to. Had a black bear eyeing me one time too. Oh yea, I almost stepped on a deer fawn, it then jumped up and ran off. Just about soiled myself.

Had a cougar scream at me in Canyonlands. Black bear in CA. Pack of wolves in Northern Ontario. Every stinking time I'm out I almost step on a grouse and it scares the crap out of me as they fly up in my face. Almost walked into a mule deer last weekend in the Wallowas. Herd of deer ran through our camp in RMNP. Whales on the Oregon Coast. Wild turkeys on Mt. Thielsen. Rattlesnake near Mt. Hood. Have looked down on top of Golden Eagles soaring at Smith Rock. Lots of moose in Minnesota, coyotes everywhere, goats, etc. About everything in N America except a grizzly. :- )

Like nchenkin, the most memorable animal I ever encountered was a Jaguar. It was in Los Katios Nationalpark in nw Colombia, where hopefully the transamerican highway will remain interrupted forever!

Corcovado in Costa Rica indeed is a great place to see wildlife. We encountered a Baird's Tapir with a young on the beach, pretty close to nchenkin's Yaguar place. In the forest, I was nearly run over by a White-bearded Peccary. Best observation in this park, however, was an Ocelot.

In Africa, a close female Chimpanzee (Tai NP in Ivorycoast) was my favourite. I also walked into Elephants, Buffalos, Hippos, Hyenas, and a Green Mamba, but most animals were seen from cars in this continent.

A young Tiger in Royal Chitwan NP of Nepal increased my heartbeat considerably. Other great observations in Asia were Gaur and Rhino (both also Chitwan), Asian Black Bear (Dachigam, India and Kaeng Krachan, Thailand), Bharal (near Thorung La, Nepal), Himalayan Thar (Trecking to Annapurna Base Camp), Marco Polo Sheep (ne Kyrgyzstan this summer), and Orang Utan (Gunung Leuser, Sumatra, and 2 sites on Borneo). However, my all time favourite, Snowleopard, has not yet been seen by my eyes.

Europe, in comparison, is a bit lame, what mammals are concerned. Nonetheless, I appreciated Ibex (all over the alps), Badger (Britain and Germany), Moose (Scandinavia and Poland), and all these Foxes, Martens and Weasels.

As I had admitted before, I am a birdwatcher for a longer time than I was a mountaineer

All sorts of alpine goatsLots of marmots in the PyreneesIn the Chilean Altiplano: Lamas, alpacas, guanacos, vicunas, vizcayas, a coyote, plenty of weird ducks, and a sort of funny long-eared mice.Recently in the Polish forest one of the last European bison.But the weirdest of all: kangaroos and ostriches … in the Belgian Ardennes!Luis

Henning, Scott: Lucky you to see the tiger. That was another where I saw tracks (very fresh from the night before) but no cat. Scott, was your sighting in Chitwan?

We were camped in tents along the banks of the Rapti River when rhinos walked through the camp, almost taking the tents down. Another forced us up a tree during the 3-hour walk back to our lodge. I have good pictures of him! It was on this walk we saw the tiger tracks.

My scariest moment was when a pack of wild dogs surrounded our camp in South Dakota during a bicycle trip. We were sleeping under an open tarp. A dozen of them entered camp and surrounded the tarp, snarling, growling and spewing saliva, within arms reach. My friend and I had each held a 2-inch pocket knife, shouting, and ready to strike at the throat of the closest one. After 10 tense minutes dawn broke and they finally wanderd off.

I always bring a bird book on any travels. Maybe some day a snow leopard...